The young Poins fell upon his knees. He shook more violently than a naked man on a frosty day. For here indeed was the centre of his treason, since Lascelles had bidden him stay there, once Culpepper was in the Queen's room, and to say later that there the Queen had bidden him stay whilst she had her lover. And now, before the King's tremendous presence, he had the fear at his heart that the King knew this. 'Wherefore! wherefore!' the King thundered, 'wherefore didst not cry out--cry out--"Treason, Raise the watch!"? Hail out aloud?' He waited, silent for a long time. The three pikemen leaned upon their pikes; and now Culpepper had fallen against the door-post, where the King held him up. And behind his back the Queen marvelled at the King's ready wit. This was the best stroke that ever she had known him do. And the Lady Rochford lay where she had feigned to faint, straining her ears. With all these ears listening for his words the young Poins knelt, his teeth chattering like burning wood that crackles. 'Wherefore? wherefore?' the King cried again. Half inaudibly, his eyes upon the ground, the boy mumbled, 'It was to save the Queen from scandal!' The King let his jaw fall, in a fine aping of amazement. Then, with the huge swiftness of a bull, he threw Culpepper towards one of the guards, and, leaning over, had the kneeling boy by the throat. 'Scandal!' he said. 'Body of God! Scandal!' And the boy screamed out, and raised his hands to hide the King's intolerable great face that blazed down over his eyes. The huge man cast him from him, so that he fell over backwards, and lay upon his side. 'Scandal!' the King cried out to his guards. 'Here is a pretty scandal! That a King may not send a messenger to his wife withouten scandal! God help me....' He stood suddenly again over the boy as if he would trample him to a shapeless pulp. But, trembling there, he stepped back. 'Up, bastard!' he called out. 'Run as ye never ran. Fetch hither the Lord d'Espahn and His Grace of Canterbury, that should have ordered these matters.' The boy stumbled to his knees, and then, a flash of scarlet, ran, his head down, as if eagles were tearing at his hair. The King turned upon his guard. 'Ho!' he said, 'you, Jenkins, stay here with this my knight cousin. You, Cale and Richards, run to fetch a launderer that shall set a mattress in the ante-chamber for this my cousin to lie on. For this my cousin is the Queen's chamber-ward, and shall there lie when I am here, if so be I have occasion for a messenger at night.' The two guards ran off, striking upon the ground before them as they ran the heavy staves of their pikes. This noise was intended to warn all to make way for his Highness' errand-bearers.